A French boulangerie and patisserie opens in Pacific Fair.
A French boulangerie and patisserie opens in Pacific Fair.
Winter has arrived on the Gold Coast and it’s about this time that we would be skipping overseas to a Eurpoean summer.
Soaking up the sun along the Italian coast, drinking sangria in Barcelona or eating all of the delicate pastries and fresh baguettes in France (in amongst copious amounts of French wine).
But alas, this year it’s just not meant to be. Instead, we are rediscovering the gems that exist right here on the Gold Coast, yay support local.
While people watching and walking down the Champs-Élysées window shopping in Paris is sorely missed, we have a little indoor shopping haven of our very own with many of the beautiful French fashion houses in Broadbeach instead. And now with the cute addition of a brand new French boulangerie and patisserie, you can have a complete French immersion with all the fun minus the long-haul flight (not missing the plane food either).
Le Bon Choix recently opened at Pacific Fair and is the first store on the Gold Coast!
The popular cafe with seven locations already in Brisbane decided to make the move to our shopping mecca and provide their delectable creations much to the delight of hungry shoppers.
The imposing sleek black and gold exterior is a corner stand out providing comfortable red velvet chairs and cushioned bench seating for an intimate coffee and cake catch-up or mid shopping break.
While the fitout invokes all the feels you’d expect of a French art deco cafe, the real showstopper here is the glass cabinet full of perfectly arranged colourful French-renaissance-style sweets and savouries (I believe the glass is there just to control your hands from grabbing one of everything).
Your initial thought will be that all of the mouth-watering, hand-crafted masterpieces are simply to beautiful to eat, but scrap that, these little beauties are as tasty as they are pretty.
Le Bon Choix translates to ‘The Good Choice’, and there really isn’t a bad one you can make here…
From the savoury items (you know, just to start with) we recommend you reward your tastebuds with one of the delightfully fresh baguettes. The ham & salad baguette will pleasantly remind you of what a baguette should actually taste like!
If you want something a little cheekier and warming for the soul, make sure you grab the Croque Monsieur, because cheeeeessssse!
But if you are more of a sweet tooth, welcome to heaven.
You’ll be easily tempted by the array of little colourful pastries awaiting you to devour, obviously the toughest part is deciding where to start. Whether you choose an eclair, chocolate tart, lemon meringue, danish, pain au choclat or one of the other delightful delicacies, it’s not just all about looks, because the real joy is in the right amount of sweet, creamy goodness in every bite.
We highly recommend not going while on a diet.
Of course, everyones favourite colourful side coffee dish, the macron is readily available in Lemon Meringue Pie, Pistaschio, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate and more. There’s always space for a pillowy macron right? And if there isn’t, great news, you can get takeaway!
Their breads, think baguettes, cob loaves and sourdough are also available to take home, which is fantastic, because despite my iso-efforts, I am yet to master the bread making, leave it to the professionals.
So add a dash of Parisian flair and charm on your next shopping stroll. Bon appétit!
LOCATION: Level 1 next to David Jones, Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Broadbeach
HOURS: Daily 8am to 5pm, Thursdays 8am to 8pm
Words by Carly Snodgrass
Images supplied
So this is exciting news for Gold Coasters; beloved British chef Jamie Oliver has opened his very first Australian pizzeria right here in our pretty city on Saturday 16th November and we, quite obviously, love both pizza and the man himself so this madeus very happy.
Aptly titled, Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria, the menu is inspired by Jamie’s many visits to Italy (lucky him) and featuring simple, tasty eats made with exceptional produce at a great price.
What’s not to love?
The authentic, artisan dough is tossed by hand and cooked in specialty ovens to create world-famous pizzas that are loved the world over. With venues in Dubai, Portugal and Hungary, we’re joining quite the international lineup.
The focus is on classic Italian flavours and a passion for food and entertaining which are things we also love very much.
If the overseas menus are anything to go by, we can expect pizzas topped with Chicken alla Diavola, meatballs, Neapolitan-style, the classic pepperoni (YUM), a vegetarian goodie and of course, specialty garlic bread unlike any other.
If we’re lucky, there may also be appetizers along the lines of crispy squid and maybe a pasta or two in case pizzas aren’t enough to fill your belly.
Fresh, delicious salads and delightful desserts are also on the menu so the next time you’re shopping up an absolute storm at Pacific Fair you can also look forward to an epic Italian feast to recharge the batteries.
Excitingly, Jamie is somewhat of a revolutionary in the food industry and the local newbie will see new recipes and concepts along with tasty and affordable food, exceptional service and a good time atmosphere.
Jamie’s Oliver’s Pizzeria is now open on the Gold Coast, so get yourself down there asap!
LOCATION: Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Hooker Blvd, Broadbeach
Words by Kirra Smith
Photos by Brittani Johnson
The Gold Coast’s passion for poké is set to reach fever pitch when Byron Bay foodie fave Finn Poké makes its grand entrance at Pacific Fair this weekend.
That’s right folks more poké for you to ahh poke your fork at is on the way and this one has already been tried and tested by our southern friends, so you know it’s good.
It’s the first installment in Finn Poke’s planned Coastal expansion, with a third establishment set to open on James Street in late July.
As you’d know by now, poke bowls were born on the balmy shores of Hawaii and some absolute genius decided it would be a good idea to bring them to little old Oz. Thank you, kind soul.
They are, quite obviously, bowls of nourishing goodness, salad-style and often with the inclusion of raw fish and/or some other type of tasty, tasty protein.
So what’s Finn Poké bringing to the table? Premium-style bowls with mainly locally sourced ingredients and sustainably caught seafood of course. They’re staying true to the classic poké recipe while adding a local flare from northern New South Wales using a variety of vibrant vegetables, salads, tofu and raw fish options.
Get a load of these ingredients – fish caught in Australian waters, roasted beets, organic rice, citrus kale slaw and coconut-avocado or finger-lime caviar dressings.
GIMME.
The newbie is the work of brother and sister duo Jem Jacinto and Joelle Boehnert and can be found in the dining precinct just down from Event Cinemas.
It’s set to be a light-filled space, featuring all your faves including white, timber, stone and concrete, with subway tiles, a floating pergola, statement pendant lights and pops of greenery. Literally, all your faves.
To celebrate the official opening at Pacific Fair, Finn Poké will be dishing out 100 FREE mini poké bowls from 11am on Saturday 16th June.
Bring. It. On.
LOCATION: Level 1, Pacific Fair, Hooker Blvd, Broadbeach
Words by Kirra Smith
